Hidden By The Night
by CUtopia
Summary: Two certain Gryffindors sneak out of the castle in the dead of the night for some alone time.


Entry for the _Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition_ , Season 6, Round 9 – Wigtown Wanderers vs Ballycastle Bats

 **Position:** Captain

 **Prompt:** For this round, we are focusing on the female characters from Harry Potter who played important roles in the story. - Molly Weasley

 **Word Count:** 1,308

 **Betas:** DinoDina, silently-at-night, TheCrownprincessBride

Entry for the _"Old Fanfiction Tropes" Competition II_

 **Trope:** Caught in the rain

* * *

 **Hidden By The Night**

Dark, voluminous clouds drifted over the sky above Hogwarts castle, hiding the moon behind them and swallowing its light. The expansive grounds were thus cast in a greyish gloom, only broken in some places by the warm, golden light that filtered out of the hundreds of windows of Hogwarts. It was the kind of weather that kept the students inside, and they crowded the library or the Common Rooms, studying, reading, or playing games with their friends in the warmth of the fireplaces.

However, for two inhabitants of Hogwarts, the long shadows dragging over the grounds and the darkness were just the perfect conditions. Everyone staying inside meant that the grounds were empty, of course, and that was just what they wanted. Privacy was hard to find in Hogwarts, a circumstance that many young couples disliked, but Molly Prewett and Arthur Weasley were one of the few who actually decided to do something about it, even if it meant breaking some rules.

Hogwarts offered a myriad of ways to enter and exit the castle, and not even the teachers or Filch knew all of them, so the chances to take one of these and go unnoticed were good. Tonight, it wasn't any different, and so Molly and Arthur sneaked out onto the dark grounds without a problem. Moving through the shadows and avoiding the patches of light that fell onto the grass through the lower windows, they made their way towards the greenhouses, fingers entwined. Even though it was dark, they could hear each other's smiles in the hushed whispers they exchanged while walking through the rows of glass houses, heading towards the one furthest away from the castle. Some students who'd been very determined to find a spot where they could do whatever it was they were planning without being detected, had realised that greenhouse five, full of harmless plants for medical potions for the school nurse, stood in the exact right angle that light and activity within couldn't be seen from the castle. It was a longer walk, but it was worth the trouble.

A low rumble came from the sky, followed by a louder one, and Molly and Arthur stopped by a corner to check if the coast was clear. Molly leaned against her boyfriend's back while he gazed around a corner, and even after many nights of sneaking out together, she could barely keep herself from giggling at the excitement of doing something forbidden. She squeaked when a few cold raindrops hit her head and neck, and Arthur glanced over his shoulder, placing a finger over his lips to hush her, worried that someone could be around and hear them.

However, just a moment later, he was the one to make an involuntary noise of surprise when the heaven seemed to open the floodgates and heavy raindrops pattered down on them from one second to the other. Without thinking, Arthur gripped Molly's hand tighter and pulled her with him as the rain drenched everything, from the soil to their clothes, and they were wet within a few moments.

The sound of the rain hitting the glass roofs of the greenhouses drowned out the sound of their hasty steps on the ground, the mud sucking on their shoes and making the last meters to their destination slippery, so they were happy when Arthur could slam the door shut. Molly was still laughing, even though she was cold, and pushed a few damp strands of her red hair out of her face. "Meteorology obviously isn't one of your strengths, Weasley. I told you there would be rain, but you didn't want to listen."

Her brown eyes gleamed in amusement as she teased him, and Arthur chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer. "I'd just been hoping we wouldn't get caught in the rain, my dear. I didn't want to cancel our date because I missed you so much that the thought of spending another few days without seeing you alone was unbearable."

Molly shook her head and her fingers toyed with the damp material of his white shirt, clinging to his pale skin. "You're such an idiot."

"Yeah, but you love that."

She couldn't deny that she did — he was a dork, doing sweet and stupid things for her; hell, he made her break the school rules, but he was right, she wouldn't have him any other way. He wasn't rich or a master at flirting or even the most handsome boy at Hogwarts, but she didn't care about either of that. Arthur was perfect for her just the way he was, and for him, she didn't mind crossing some boundaries.

If she was honest with herself, she'd never felt so strongly about someone before. She'd been in love before, but with Arthur, it was different, better… Where others had made her heart race and her hands sweat, she felt comfortable around Arthur, calmer, like she didn't have to alter her behaviour to make a good impression. Molly could be herself around him, with all her little flaws and quirks, and the same applied to Arthur.

Her fingertips brushed the skin of his neck as she ran her fingers along the collar of his shirt, a warm feeling spreading inside her, like a spark that ignited a new kind of emotion. While the rain drummed down on the roof and the earthy scent of damp soil spread, she pressed closer to his warm body. Arthur's forehead pressed against hers and their noses bumped together when he leaned in.

Molly wanted to be as close to him as possible, and she could feel her cheeks glow at the not so innocent thoughts that started to grow inside her, and it didn't help that she slowly started to feel cold due to her wet clothes and Arthur was a perfect heat source.

"You're shivering," Arthur whispered in worry and led her over to a bench where he sat her down before pulling his cloak, heavy from the water it was soaked with, off and trying to dry it with a spell. "I heard the Muggles invented a device that can dry hair with warm air. So inventive, these Muggles, right?"

The cloak still had some damp patches when he wrapped it around Molly's shoulders, but she didn't mind — it was the thought that counted. "Thank you, Arthur."

She leaned in and kissed him softly, wondering for how long they would be stuck in here — she wasn't too keen to get wet again while running to the castle, and the rain's intensity hadn't lessened yet. In the dim light of the small lanterns that Arthur had lit with a flick of his wand, she could see thick streams of water running down the glass walls.

"What are you thinking about, Mollywobbles?" Arthur asked quietly and wrapped his arms around her gently while attempting to find a position on the bench that would be comfortable for them both.

"About how long we'll be stuck here. Not that I enjoy being here with you, but I don't want to spend the night here."

"Not? That hurts," he teased her lightly and Molly rested her head on his chest with a smile.

"You may be warm, Weasley, but my bed is still more comfy. Though, I'm content with cuddling until the rain is gone."

She looked up at him and they exchanged soft glances. Moments like these reminded her that, even though it felt like they had too little time for each other, they still had their whole life ahead of them, and lots of time. There was nothing they had to rush, and taking their time, savouring every minute with Arthur, sounded just perfect.

And not even heavy rain, wet clothes and a hard wooden bench could darken that picture.


End file.
